Transport means for bricks and the like



Oct. 18, 1927.

c. J. WEBER TRANSPORT MEANS. FOR BRICKS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 8, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 249. Inge/01? Zflpfz/ej 5 6' fl'arezz/cef/Wfief 1927' 1 c. J. WEBER TRANSPORT MEANS FOR BRICKS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 8, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A B 55\ l 48 6% 3 A 4 52 I g5 v a5- I W MG/zr O 628 O [Jazaacef/Vebef and for, moving; them into, through, .and'

from thedryer, and itsobjects are the pro- Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

CLARENCE J. WEBER, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIsA'ssrGNon T0 NATIONAL BRICK 'CoM PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS;

Applicationfflled October a, 1925. Seria1 No.'61;178..

This invention relates to transport means for bricks and the like, more particularly to means for deliveringraw bricks selectively to theqdesired channels-ofa suitable dryer vision of a simplified and improved means for doing this expeditiously and with little labor and few attendants. I

According to my invention I employ a transfer car which is adapted to receive the material car and to'convey same selectively to, any of a number of desired positions along the dryer. I provide the transfer car with suitable winch means and at the several positions to which the material car, is adapted to be conveyed by the transfer car, means are provided for co-operating with a flexible element withwhich the winch means is provided. The flexible element is adapted to be connected or engaged with the material car, and when so engaged and placed in co-operation with the co -operating means at the positioninto which the car is moved, operation ofthe winch meansmoves the material car from the transfercar and into, through, and from the dryer. The means for conveying or transporting away the dried bricks is simple and is adapted 'for expeditious operation to complete. the system.

In order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of. constructing and practicing the invention, I shall now describe a particular embodiment of the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic top planview of a system embodying the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fi 1;

partially in section, showing the transfer car, one of the channels through the dryer, and the manner of moving the material car from the transfer car and into, through, and from the dryer;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of-the transfer car,

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the material car; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view. of the flexible, element which is wound by thawinch' means for the purpose of moving the material car. j. r c

I In the particular systemwhich Ihave selected for the purpose of illustratingqmyf present invention, the clay. or raw molded to the desired form in two dimensions, is fed-in continuous formation'from the brick machine 5 to the chopper or cutter 6, as by means-of a suitable belt conveyor 8." j The chopper or cutter 6 cuts the continuous strip of clay or raw brick material 9 into bricks of the desired length, whichare thereupon fed upon a conveyor 10, which may be of the belt type as shown. By driving the conveyor 10 at a speed in excess or greater than the speed of the conveyorS, the bricks are separated longitudinallyas shown in Fig.1, so that they will not cling together and maybe conveniently handled. Stationed along the conveyor 10, as illustrated diagrammatically at 12, are a large number of laborers or hackers who remove the bricks from the conveyor 10 and pile or stack the same on material cars 15. The dryer is illustrated more or less diagrammatically at 16. Extending longitudinally along the dryer 16 are tracks 18 and mounted upon and operable along these tracks 18 is a transfer car 20. The cars 15, adjacent the hackers? position, are mountedupon and movable along tracks 22, which tracks 22 extend transversely with respect to the tracks 18 and are adapted to meet the transfer car at substantially right angles. A series of tracks 24: extend transversely through the dryer 16, 1neeting the transfer car 20 at substantially right angles at one side of. the dryer and adapted to meet a second transfer car 25 at the opposite side of of the dryer 16 and may be substantially Fig. 3 is a ragmentary top plan view,

parallel with the tracks 18. I

Mounted upon the transfer car 20 and extending transversely across the top there.- of is a pair of tracks 28 which tracks, by movement .of. the car. 20 are adapted to be placed in registration with the adjacent ends of the tracks 22 or with the adjacent ends of any of the numerous pairs .oftracks 24. Inorder. that proper registration may; be effected so that the tracks 28 will form continuities ofthe tracks 22 or 24 for the purpose of permitting the cars 15 to be rolled along the tracks22 anddirectly onto the tracks 28 on the. car 20 or from the ick,

tracks 28 and directly onto any of the nu merous pairs oftracks 24, the tracks 18 may Operate in a channel or depression or the tracks 22 and 24 may be otherwise elevated with respect to the tracks 18 todispose them in the same horizontal plane with the tracks 28. v V

The interior of the dryer 16 may be divided into a number of transversely extending passagesby transverse walls 32, as shown in Fig. 3." The purpose-of this is usually to eliminate the necessity of firingor heating up the entire dryer whenever it is desired to only use a part of the same.

i the tracks 28 is a suitable electric motor 43 mounted upon the platform "with its axis extending vertically, and having suitable winch means to be driven thereby. The motor 43 is preferably self-enclosed. Mounted upon the opposite end of the platform 40 is an electric controller 48 having acontroller handle 50.

The car 20 may be propelled along the tracks 18 electrically or otherwise, as desired. Where an electric drive'is employed, the car 20 may be provided with a trolley for co-operation with a suitable overhead wire. The controller handle 50 has two positions A and B. In one of these positions the electric drive for the car is adapted to be turned on to propel or drive the car along the tracks 18, whereas in the other position the electric car drive is turned off and the drive -to the winch means 45 started to drive said winch means by means of the electric motor 43 and wind the'flexible' element 52 thereon.

The flexible element 52 comprises a length 53 of rope or similar material and a length of'cable 54 or similar material, joined together at55. Thefree end of the rope section 53 is secured at 56 (Fig. 4)to the winch means 45 as by wrapping it about the same, and the free end of the cable length 54 is povided with a hook 58 for fastening or a tachment to the cars 15. The-length of rope portion provides sufficient flexibility for proper winding upon the winch. whereas the cable portion of the flexible element imparts "relatively great strength where it is most desired.

Along the tracks 24 and ad'acent the openings 34 alongthe inlet side 0 the dryer, which is the side along which the tracks 18 extend, are pulleys 60, one'mounted adja- The endopcnings 34, into andfrom the transverse cent eaoh'inlet opening. The mounting of those pulleys 60 may conveniently be by means of brackets 62 upon the transverse walls or partitions 32 extending through thedryen' f i Thecars 15 comprise horizontal platforms 63 having end stakes or members 64 be-.

tween which the bricks 65 are piled or stacked, as shown in Fig. 5. The platform 63 is mounted upon wheels 68 which track uponthe-tracks 22, 28 and 24;

Inuoperation the molded strip of-clay or raw brick material, which issues from-the brick-machine 5',"-is chopped or cut into bricks of the desired length by thc chopper or cutter, andthe rawcut bnckspass onto.

the conveyor 10, where they areseparated V lengthwise.

properly piled or stacked in the cars 15.

Then, by moving or propelling the transfer car 20 along the tracks 18-to register its tracks '28 i with the tracks '22, one of the loadedcars 15 may be moved or propelled in any suitable manner along the tracks 22 and onto the tracks 28 ofthe car20. Then, by

moving the car 20 along the tracks 18, its

From the conveyor 10 the raw bricks are removed b -the hackers 12 and tracks 28 may be registered selectivelywithany of the tracks 24, sothat the car 15may be moved transversely into any desired part of the dryer. I I r The space between the dryer and the tracks 18is preferably such that two cars 15 may, for example, beplaced or stored between the dryer and the tracks '18. Assuming thatthe dryeror the particular transverse passage towhichthe car 15 is to be delivered is full or loaded withcars transversely to the dryer, then by training the flexibleelement 52 about-thepulley 60' adjacentthe passage to which the car is to be deliveredylooping the free end of the flexible element back and attachin its hook outlet side of the dryer to permit storage of the two cars between them and the dryer on the outlet side. In. case there are no cars at all on the branchtrack 24"selected the car 15 may, of course. be simply moved from the car 20 and onto the'tracks 24 between the dryer and the tracks 18 in'this manner, or it may be moved further as desired, The rmitted storage and the further use permitted of the 'car' 20 takes the greatest advantage of the space available, it being" raw un-dried bricks awaiting delivery to the dryer. While that, of course, is unimportant and may be varied to suit the installation employed and to secure any desired balance, the winch and motor unit is, in the embodiment shown, mounted to one side of the car 20, and for the purpose of balancing the opposite side, especially under the action of the winch when it is under load, a suitable weight 7 O is mounted upon the platform on the side of the car opposite the winch.

For the purpose of removing or conveying awa the dried bricks, the transfer car is opera le along the tracks 26 to receive the material cars 15 selectively from the.

tracks 24 and to convey the material cars 15 selectively to a plurality of branch tracks 72. A crane element, or the like (not shown) is adapted for removing the stacked bricks from the cars 15 on the tracks 72 and for carrying them to the kiln 75. By means of the transfer car 25 the empty cars 15 are adapted to be transferred from the tracks 72 to the tracks 76 and 77 from where they are run into position to be loaded by the hackers, as desired, there preferably being some space between the tracks 26 and the hackered'position to permit storing of, say, two cars therebetween so that empty cars will always be available for loading.

The car 25 may have tracks 80 for receiving the cars 15 from the tracks 24 and for facilitating running said cars off onto the tracks 72. Whereas, a winch and motor unit is not necessary on the car 25 and is, therefore, not shown, it is to be understood that said car could be equipped with such a unit for the purpose of pulling the cars 15 thereon should they be sufficiently bulky or weighty to make this desirable.

It is to be understood, of course, that in delivering the cars 15 into, through and from the dryer the doors 35 may be first suitably opened or they may, of course, be movement of the cars.

flat cars 15 may be as desired, the bricks forming the bottom course on the car are preferably stacked edgewise with a space etween each brick as shown in Fig. 5.

The crane fingers or elements engage be neath the next to the bottom course and be tween the spaced bricks forming the bot;

\Vhile the stacking of the bricks on the tom course, and are adapted to be clamped in engagement with the bricks of the bot tom course to lift that course and the entire stack or pile from the drying car to be deposited at any desired point in the kiln, for example, by the crane or other means employed for that purpose.

Ido not intend tolimit the invention to the particular details shown, or described, nor do I intend'to limit it to use in transporting bricks. It maybe used wherever desired with other materials and the details claims.

I claim s V 1. In combination, a dryer, a first track extending longitudinally along one side of said dryer, a second track extending longi tudinally along the opposite side of said may vary within the scope of the appended dryer, a plurality of tracks extending through the dryer and between said first and second longitudinal tracks, a loading station at one end of the dryer, a track extending past said loading station and between said nrst two tracks, a drying car operable along said last track and along the dryer tracks, a transfer car operable along said first longitudinal track for receiving the drying car from the loading station track and for delivering same selectively to the dryer tracks, and a plurality of branch tracks extending from said second longitudinal track and a second transfer car operable along said second longitudinal track for receiving the drying car from the dryer tracks and for delivering same to said branch tracks and to the loading station track.

2. A transfer car for the purpose described, comprising a horizontal platform, wheels supporting said platform, motor and winch means mounted upon one end of said platform, a controller mounted upon the opposite end of said platform and a track mounted upon the platform and extending transversely across the same between said motor and winch means and said controller.

3. A transfer car for the purpose described comprising a wheel mounted platform, motor andv winch means mounted upon one end of the platform adjacent one side thereof, a controller mounted upon the platform at the other end and substantially centrallythereof, a track mounted upon the platform and extending transversely across the same between said motor and winch means and said controller, and a weight on the platform at the motor and winch end thereof and at the opposite side'of the platform from said motor and winch.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this third day of October, 1925.

. CLARENCE J. WEBER. 

